Why me?
by ShadowBYeBYe
Summary: NOT ME: some one will die....but it isn't who you think. A very sad loss send the characters into a whirl wind
1. Everything is fine

Here is the second sequel to Not Me. Does any one know how hard it is to write two completely different sequels to the same story without them reading the same. Very hard! Well I hope that I can keep these two going in seperate directions.

Reminder. This is the sequel to the ending where the bitch don't die. Remember Haru saves her. (dumb ass) This is also the one where Katara bites Azula instead of using her water bending to escape. The biting, again with the biting. Well it's okay.

On with the story.

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The water gently lapped at her feet as she sat on the bank of the river Zuko in front of her. Katara shook her head. As much as she tried she couldn't get rid of the lash marks from Azula's whip. It was almost as if the sting of the whip could be felt on her own back. How could someone do such a thing to their own family, spill blood that runs through both of their veins. Katara swallowed hard. She could never to that to Sokka and he couldn't to it to her.

There had to be something wrong with Azula, a screw loose, or a marble missing. Azula seemed to Katara like, a power hugry ravenous beast, bent on consuming everyth8ing to gain more power and to desrtoy anything that stood in her way. Katara looked at Zuko as she washed down his back. Was there a piece of that beast inside him? If not, no one would ever guess if they didn't know that Zuko and Azula were even related. But if so she hadn't seen it yet, and truly hoped that she never did have to see that. Even though he tried to put on an merciless face, his eyes gave him away. She could see his heart in his eyes, that was one place he couldn't hide it.

He did feel. He felt pain, love, hate and guilt just like any one else. But he seemed ashamed of that, as if it were a weakness. She shook her head as she rinsed the rag of the blood and continued. No, there was no monster inside that core. There couldn't be. If there ever had been it wasn't there any more. Riyo had destroyed most of the coniving part of Zuko and replaced it with a protective fatherly feeling.

Zuko would wince everytime that she washed away the blood. Azula had brought blood to his back and rage to his heart. He should have killed her when he had the chance. To spill Azula's blood, in the past, might have brought a great deal of pleasure. But that wasn't his life anymore. His life now revolved around Katara and his son, no matter what that whore had said Riyo was his son. You could tell by looking at him. Now if the child had mutton chops and an evil look on his face, then he might have to think about it, but not for very long.

Any way he looked at it, Riyo was his son and would always be his son, and Katara would be Riyo's mother.

Zuko grabbed Katara's hand as she gently wiped down his shoulder. Katara smiled nad wrapped her arms aroudn hsi neck and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"You are worried?"

"Yes, I don't want you to leave me." Katara pulled back and looked at the back of hsi head as he stared into the water..

"Why would I do that?" He shrugged. Katara shook her head and walked around to look at him kneeling down in the water in front of him.

"If I didn't leave you after all of the hell you put me through on your ship, and all the stuff that happened since then, I'm not going to leave you now."

"So it doesn't bother you that I am officially no longer a prince?" Katara narrowed her eyes and popped him in the side of the head.

"WHAT did you do that for!"

"For thinking that it ever mattered to me!" She said and crossed her arms. Zuko smiled. She was true as she was beautiful. He leaned back against the bank where she had been sitting and splashed her with a handful of water.

She shook her head and stared at him.

"Do you really what to start a splashing fight with a water bender?" Zuko shook his head with a smile and pushed himself to stand up. Katara giggled and grabbed his legs pullign him back into the water. She rolled over and pinned him to the bottom.

The small river wasn't very deep at that point and his face was just out of the water. She smiled and leaned down kissing him softly.

"You worry to much."Katara said with a frown. Zuko smiled and looked into her cerulean eyes.

"You are sexy to much." Katara blushed and sat up pushign her self to stand. Zuko kicked himself mentally. He didn't know what he did, but obviously it was something. He stood up and walked after her.

"Katara wait."

"We have to get back to Appa. We need to leave. It is bad for us to sit in one place to long, and besides I bet Riyo is wondering where mommy and daddy are." Katara mumbled. Zuko rolle dhis eyes and walked behind her. Leave it to him to say something to upset her and not know how he did it.

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Heh. Short sweet. And ...what else? Let me know. 


	2. We are still here

HEAR YE HEAR YE! DISFIGURED WOMAN TO WED THE COURAGEOUSCHEIF!

Ok I'm done. I dunno. It's early. Enjoy!

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Just under two miles away a deformed hand reached up and grasp the hand of a corageous young man who didn't have the faintest idea of what kind of shit he had gotten himself into. Haru pulled the girl to sit up. Her body was ashened and black from the dead skin and the stain of the dye. Haru gently pulled back the crispy skin so that the skin left underneath could reform as it was meant to.

Malana grabbed Haru's hair as it hung down near her. She jerked it down hard and looked straight into his eyes.

"We need water! You get it for us, or one of us will hurt you very badly." Haru smiled softly. HE just figured she was delirious from the situation that he had pulled her from. He pryed her hand from his hair and took out his cantine. He held the back of her head, that had once been covered in flowing black silk hair, but was now shrowded in burnt wirey left overs. She drank greedily as one that had been burned should have.

Haru gently set her head back on the ground and smiled at her.

"You are safe now. No one can hurt you anymore." Malana's eyes glinted as something whirled around in her twisted little mind.

_This man thinks that I am an innocent._

_**What a fool**_

**No. What a perfect situation.**

_What?_

_**I get it.**_

_What!_

**This man can help us get the perfect revenge that we so much deserve**

_**We get him to fall**_

**And fall hard**

_Then we swoop in and take full of advantage of it! Your a genius!_

**I know.**

"Ha..haru..please don't leave me." Haru's soft eyes melted as he cupped her hand in his. He shook his head.

"I couldn't never leave someone that was in pain."

"How could the...how could they do this to me..." Malana said and started sobbing, alligator tears treaming down her face. Haru frowned.

"Who did this to you?"

"That evil prince ... Zuko."

"Zuko?" Haru said a little taken aback. Malana nodded and forced herself to cry harder. She brought her hands up to cover her face.

"Yes...he di..didn't want me any m...more!" Malana said in a sobbing scream. She was laying it on thicker then molasses in the winter time, and he was eating it up.

"What do you mean?" Malana sat up wrapping her arms around his neck bawling into his shoulder, geting soot all over him.

"I had his child! He said we were going to get married! He tricked me! He left me after I got pregnant! He said I was used! And that I wasn't worth it! Then after I had my beautiful baby boy, he stole him from me! He accused me of being a mere whore!" Haru listened in contemplation. He thought deeply as she cried.

"By Katara said.."

"That lying little bitch! He is using her! He told her that I was crazy! HE told her that I was a bad mother! She stole my child and tried to kill me!" A little warning sign went up in the back of Haru's brain, but being the kind person he is, he ignored it. There wasn't any way that a person could make this stuff up. Malana smiled as he patted her on the back.

**Gotcha.**

"Katara?" Sokka ask as his sister came huffing back into the camp. Her face was red as if she had been crying. She didn't answer him when he called out to her a second time. Sokka turned and glared as Zuko came walking through the brush behind her. Sokka ran and tackled Zuko to the ground landing a hard boomerang against Zuko's neck.

"What did you do to my sisiter?" Zuko glared at the boy, trying his best to keep from writhing considering that he still was shirtless and the dirt, along with various other things, was getting into his freshly cleaned wounds. Sokka raised a fist up and ask again only recieving darking and daring eyes as an answer. Sokka brought his fist forward but Katara grabbed it hard. She threw him off of Zuko and helped him up.

"Are you ok?" She as dusting the dirt and leaves from his back trying her best not to aggitated the wounds. She made sure that everything was fine with Zuko before she turned around and looked at her brother. She walked over to him and stared him straight in the eye.

"What?" Sokka ask. Katara rared back and landed a hard punch straight across her brother's jaw. He stumbled sideways holding his jaw and staring at her.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" Sokka yelled through his hand. Katara curled her nose, putting on hand on her hip and pointing back at Zuko.

"He is mine. You don't touch. The only one who can beat up on him is me, got that?" Sokka just glared at her. She reached up and grabbed his wolf's tail and drug him out of the trees and back over to the fire.

"Sit. Eat." She ordered. Sokka felt like a whiped puppy. Since when was she so..., well she was always demanding, and always bossy, what's the word...violent? She hit him. No she punched him..hard...and it hurt.

"What the hell?" Sokka said getting a weird look from Iroh who was sitting at the fire opposite him not really knowing what had happened before. Riyo was giggling in his uncle's lap as Iroh was checking him, for the tenth time, to make sure that the baby wasn't harmed.

Zuko grabbed Katara's arm as she walked back over to him.

"What is the matter with you? Where did that come from?' Katara just looked at him. She took a deep breath and let her head fall forward on his chest, taking him slightly off guard.

"I'm tired."

Aang watched from atop Appa. The events that had conspired were so strange, and some what frightening. Had he known how things would have happened, maybe he would have readied himself differently. Maybe he wouldn't have let his feelings for Katara grwo so much. But in truth he had to be realistic. He was twelve. And that was that. She was already into marrying age, or would be soon. And Zuko, however much of a threat he used to be, was made for her.

Besides that, he was the avatar. He had only a single purpose in that world and that was to protect it from destroying itself. He wasn't meant to fall in love, he wasn't meant to have children. But if that was so..was he even meant to have friends? How could he protect the world with such a biased as that all Fire Nation were bad? Oh Ruko..he was in some serious spiritual doo doo.

* * *

Yes. Doo doo.Childish, ain't it? I love it! It is so Aang! 


	3. Little Bandit

I don't know why. But I kinda went a little OOC on Katara in this chapter. However, I may be backing it with a plot twist later. I don't know. So be warned, Katara gets a little bit bitchy!

* * *

Zuko watched Katara closely as she sat on the edge of the saddle looking down at the earth moving below her. Zuko sighed and leaned back on his elbows.

"Don't let her get to you." Iroh said with a smile. "Your own mother used to get like that. Either homesick or just quiet."

Zuko looked at his uncle with an odd expression. He had never heard his uncle speak of his mother, not since she...Zuko frowned and looked away.

"Homesick?"

Iroh nodded and looked over at the girl as she craddled a sleeping Riyo in her arms. Iroh smiled.

"Yes, homesick. Homesick for the way things used to be. When things were peaceful." Zuko shook his head.

"Uncle you make no since. Katara or my Mother either were never around during times of peace, so how can they miss it."

"Prince Zuko, you have much to learn. Even you miss peace even though you have never known it. To raise a family without having to look over your shoulder. To be able to settle down in one place. Your mother always dreamed of a night where she could sleep without having to worry about you or your sister being killed in the middle of the night."

"Hn." Zuko looked back over to Katara s he heard Riyo stir. He could seen Riyo's golden eyes that had turned into a rich deep honey color, gleaming up at Katara. He could feel Katara smile back at the infant. She cooed at him and kissed his forehead.

Riyo let out a shrill giggle and smiled, and let his little tongue slip form his mouth. Zuko made his way over to them and looked at his son.

"Give me that tongue." Zuko smiled and reached up touching Riyo's tongue lightly. Suddnely Katara became rigid as she stared down at the ground below them. Zuko frowned and looked over the edge of Appa to see just what exactly was she staring at.

"Turn it around!" Zuko shouted as he looked down at the ground. Aang cocked an eyebrow and just looked at the prince as if he had lost his mind.

"Aang! There's a girl in trouble down there! We have to help her!" Katara ordered. Aang instictly pulled the reins and turned Appa completely around. Sooka leaned over the side to get a look at what all the ruckus was about. A young girl around Aang's age was running from three rather burly men.

Aang jumped down off of Appa and landed between the girl and the men.With a quick flick of his wrists he sent the trio of men flying into the water. Katara jumped down off of the bison as he landed and ran over to the girl and grabbed her by the arm.

"Are you ok?" The girl glared up at her with powder void eyes. She was blind. But that look that she was giving Katara could kill none the less.

"I was fine! I didn't ask for your help now, did I?" The girl huffed and pushed past Katara. Sokka slid down off of Appa and looked at the girl.

"Didn't look like you were fine from up there." He said and pointed skyward. The girl just continued on. Zuko jumped down baby in hand and stopped the girl.

"Look they just saved your life you should be grateful!" The girl shot a death glare in Zuko's direction, and with proper speed she stomped her foot on the ground tossing Zuko to the ground as a mound of earth sprug up. Zuko clung to Riyo and turned to land on his back so that his son wasn't harmed.

"You're an Earth Bender!" Aang squelled and ran over to her.

"No, I'm a mime. Now leave me alone."Katara ran over to Zuko and helped him up making that him and Riyo were both safe and unharmed.

"Well it looks like you should have looked before you leaped. You know a frog knows not the dangers of the waters if he jumps in to soon."

"Uncle! Not now!" Zuko hissed as Iroh chuckled from his perch on top of Appa.

"If you will not listen, then maybe you will learn." Katara shook her head and smiled at Iroh.

"You didn't know any better then we did."

"True, but who is still comfortable?" Zuko rolled his eyes and looked after the young girl. He took notice of the bag of food hanging securly around her waist. Just then the trio of men that had been persuing the girl came staggering out of the water.

" What did you do that for!" One of the men growled grabbign Aang up by the collar. Katara narrowed her eyes.

"Put him down!" The man just looked at her with a frown

"Or what?" Bad Idea. Yeah let's piss of the water bender when there is an entire ocean behind us! Katara reached up and drenched the three men with the salty water. A fairly older man wiped his face off and started walking towards Katara.

"You little bitch." Just as the last word exited the man's mouth a fire ball shot past his face. Zuko lowered his smoking hand and quickly looked down at his son in the other hand, then back up to his target.

"I don't miss twice." Sokka smiled. At least Zuko kwas taking care of Katara like he had promisesd. He had better. Sokka pulled out his bladed boomerang and smirked. Not that it would have any effect on the men as far as intimidation goes. They had already witnessed an air bender, a water bender, **and** a fire bender all in one place and traveling together to make matters worse.

The man who had a grip on Aang, even though he was drenched, finally dropped his hold on the young Avatar. He raised his hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay then. We don't want a fight. Ya'll can put up your fire and water guns now." Katara glared at him and crossed her arms. No matter what he said she wasn't going to let her guard down. Zuko glared at the men and walked up even with Katara, standing next to her, Riyo perched happily on his hip.

"All wes wanted was our foods back! That little dame stole our grub!" The third man said. The older man nodded and looked off into the tall grass where the girl had vanished.

"The little theif." Aang looked back at the grass then turne dback to the three men.

"We thought she was in danger."

"She was gonna be, until yous decided to go poking your noses where the don't belong." The first man landed a hard punch to the third man's arm.

"Shut yer yap. We weren't meanin the girl no harm."

"We just wanted to take back what was ours." The older man added. Aang kicked at the ground. He was supposed to be the good guy and here he was helping a bad guy...well bad girl. But Katara wasn't as eager to take faith in the men's statements.

"Really? Do you know her then?"

"No mam. They call her the Little Bandit. She's been a might of trouble since she showed up in these here parts."

"Yeah yeah. She's a little theif." Again the first man slugged the third man.

"I told you to shut yer yap."

"Boys! I have told you both plenty of times. QUIT FIGHTING!" The older man yelled. The two younger men cowered then nodded. The older man cleared his throat and looked back at the group with a warm smile.

"Was there any thing else?"

"Yeah, your feeding us garbage." Katara said. Zuko and Sokka both turned to look at her with confused eyes. This was really out of character for her. Normally she would be a slight bit trusting. The older man furrowed his brows in question.

"The girl was blind. I saw that with my own eyes." The old man nodded.

"Yes, she is blind in the eyes. But the girl is also a very gifted Earth Bender. I've never seen one so talented. That is why she has eluded me and my boys so much."

"Yeah that's the third damn time in a week that she had stolen from us."

"That little dames gonna pay if it's that last ting I do."

"Now now, gentlmen. I'm sure she wouldn't steal the food if she didn't need it." Iroh said coming down from Appa, Momo riding comfortably on his shoulder.

"That may be true, but.."

"She is blind. So why not let her be. The more you chase the weasle the more it will taunt you."

"I never thought about it that way."

"You can grow more. Perhaps she doesn't know how." The old man nodded and looked back at the two younger men.

"Okay boys back to the house then." He turned and looked back at the group. "Do you need a place to stay for the night? You look weary and with a pregnant woman and a baby you shouldn't be travling so hard." Zuko's eyes widened as he shot alook towards Katara. She was red as a cherry and the veins in her forehead were buldging. Her fists were clenched and her jaw was locked.

Sokka reached over and clocked Zuko upside the head.

"You bastard I am going to kill you!" Katara opened her eyes with a snap and turned to glare at her brother. Here eyes were dialated so much that they blue of her eyes were barely visible. Zuko bit his lip as she walked over his eyes as wide as they possible could get. Sokka felt his face ashen as he seen fire glowing in his sister's eyes. She walked right up to him and stared directly into his eyes, no more then six inches from him.

"Wanna know a secret, Sokka?" She hissed through clenched teeth. Sokka quickly shook his head no, but she didn't pay him any attention.

"I AM NOT PREGNANT!"

"So then you are just getting pudgy?" Aang said. Katara screamed and took off running after him flinging water spears as she ran. Aang squeaked and took off full sprint screaming his head off.


	4. That's why

The blind girl listened from a distance. The group had tried to defend her. BAH! She didn't need help. She didn't want more people trying to feel sorry for her. She got enough of that when she was home. She sat down with her back against the tree. She undid the cloth holding the stolen vegetables. She reached down and grabbed one and quickly stuffed it into her mouth.

Zuko walked over and smiled at Katara. She glared at him and continued to sulk. He sat down next to her and touched her hair lightly.

"Zuko..."

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?" Zuko thought for a moment then nodded.

"Yes, anything." She took a deep breath and turned to look at him.

"Am I getting fat?" Zuko's eyes grew wide. OH FUCKING HELL! HE shook his head with a warm smile.

"No." She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Zuko frowned.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No."

"Have I gained weight, then?"

"No." She pulled away from him.

"See! Now you are lying to me! I know I've gained weight." Zuko sighed.

"Okay maybe you've put on few pounds, but" Katara glared at him. She stood up and walked off. Zuko watched her huff off.

"Hell, I can't win for loosing." He growled and stood up.

"Don't worry about her, son" Zuko looked up to see Kyuhi, the old farmer, walking his way. He looked after the girl and shook his head.

"Women do that. I wish you could have met my late wife. She was one hell raiser. Lovin on my one minute beatin the shit outta me the next." Zuko looked up at the man as he stood up.

"I don't know what is wrong with her lately." The older man shrugged and looked back toward the house.

"I got a nice meal fixed up. The rest of your group is already in the house." Zuko nodded. He had left Riyo with Iroh.

"I'll be right in. Let me go get her." The man nodded with a smile as the young man took off after the girl. He shook his head. Young love was a beautiful thing, but if strangers spouted off about a girl being pregnant , and she was not, then all hell breaks out.

Zuko had to start running to catch up to her. She was really trying to get away from him. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm. He jerked her around and wrapped his arms tight around her.

"Will you stay still for a moment and let me know what the HELL is going on?" He felt her begin to shake. It wasn't long before she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him as if the world was being destroyed. His eyes grew wide as he rubbed her back. Now he knew that something was wrong. Katara's knees bucked and she fell to the ground. Zuko went down to his knees with her and held her as she cried.

"Katara what's wrong?" He said as she trembled. He heard her take in a jagged breath and let it out as she cried. She buried her head into his shoulder and gripped him tighter.

"Katara, for the love of god let me in..." He was started to get scared. She was entirely too emotional. She sniffed and pulled back to look up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy. She took a deep breath and let it out smoothly as she calmed her self.

"When we were in Haru's village..." Zuko's blood went from normal to boiling in a fraction of a second.

"What happened? Did someone hurt you?" She shook her head and tried to force back the surge of sorrow that was building up.

"No... right before everything happened...I got a letter." She looked up at him with eyes filled with tears. "Gran gran...she's..." She fell against him again.

"She's gone Zuko...She got really sick...she's..." Zuko felt his blood freeze. He pulled her against him. He tried his hardest to absorb her pain. He wanted to make it all go away. They held each other for what seemed like hours before her tears finally subsided. She shook her head against his chest and looked up at him.

"Sokka doesn't know."

"You need to tell him." She shuttered against him.

"I know...I just can't yet. I just can't"


End file.
